Kraanspoor - OTH

Once upon a time, the kraanspoor (a track for cranes) was constructed by J.D. Postma. Actually, the 'once upon a time' means: 1952. It was used for unloading ships in the northern part of the Amsterdam harbour. However, as it goes, the construction became defunct after several years of being in service.
The architects of OTH (Ontwerpgroep Trude Hooykaas) designed a new office building on top of the tracks. It's spanning the entire length of the existing structure (270 meters). The idea was to keep the existing structure intact where possible, and to respect it's formal appearance. And OTH did just that: they made a clear and simple transparent structure, in which existing services are used where possible. For instance, four of the existing stairwells are used to enter the building, and the archives are placed between the heavy concrete structure.

The building will be completely finished in October of 2007, and will house the Dutch television company of IDTV.